It is a common misconception that games played around the world are something of a new thing. In actual fact though, many types of game-related artefacts have been discovered that date back to ancient times through archaeological excavations and the reading of old records. Indeed, many modern forms of this entertainment have their origins in ancient history.

Take the Royal Game of Ur, as an example, This game is still popular in the country of Iraq and appears to date back as far as the third century. In 1920, an archaeological dig discovered gaming equipment pertaining to this game which is believed to be the oldest set of its kind found in the entire world.

As time wore on, the traditional forms of entertainment were modified into different variations of their former selves. Entertainment of this type was growing ever more popular at the time of Jesus being born. Emperor Claudius is known to have played the game known as Tabula around this time for instance.

As the time wore on, the game of Tabula was evolved and modified. Indeed, it is believed that the modern equivalent of the game of Tabula is the popular game of Backgammon. It is fascinating to think that the game we enjoy playing so much today was equally enjoyed by our distant relatives too!

Strangely, this type of entertainment also seem to feature prominently in many historical events that took place in history around the globe. For example, the game of bowls on a green lawn has been played in the country of England for several centuries. Bowls appear to be significant in a story relating to the Elizabethan Naval Commander, Sir Frances Drake.

In English history, the 16th century was a turbulent time with England at war with neighboring Spain. In 1588, the Spanish intended to invade England by using their Spanish Armada. It is said that Sir Frances Drake said "We still have time to finish the game and thrash the Spaniards too", whilst playing bowls at Plymouth whilst the Spanish fleet was advancing on English shores.

On top of the traditional methods of keeping ourselves entertained, more popular nowadays are games of the video variety. Game playing consoles first originated in their simplest form in the 1950s and took off in the 1970s. Many of us will remember having a console when we were a child and playing the highly addictive tennis-like game! Now we have highly technical consoles which are evolving with each passing year.

No matter what form they take, games of all varieties are set to keep us entertained for many more centuries to come.